Jose Peseiro says Mohamed Salah missed the chance to become one of the leading figures in Saudi football, while Cristiano Ronaldo should continue to start as long as he retains his hunger and energy.
Speaking to Kooora, Peseiro said Al Nassr and Al Hilal were the strongest contenders for the Saudi Pro League title. Al Hilal have strengthened with several high-quality signings, but the Portuguese coach believes organisation, structure and leadership will ultimately decide the competition.
Peseiro, who previously managed Al Hilal and the Saudi Arabia national team and now works with AlUla, said he did not know why Karim Benzema left Al Hilal. However, he added that it was “natural” for players not to succeed in every project they join.
He also backed Victor Osimhen, his former striker with Nigeria, to have excelled in Saudi Arabia. “Osimhen is an elite striker, with rare work ethic and competitive aggression,” Peseiro said. “He would have adapted to any environment and, had he chosen Saudi Arabia, he would have been one of the league’s biggest stars.”
On Salah, Peseiro said: “Salah is an icon. He is the person best placed to know what is right for him, but honestly, I believe the Saudi league was the ideal stage for him at this point in his career. The opportunity for him to be one of the most prominent symbols of the Saudi project has been lost.”
Peseiro said he would select Ronaldo regularly rather than use him as a substitute, despite the forward’s age.
“Cristiano is not an ordinary player,” he said. “As long as he has this passion and vitality, he must be on the pitch. He makes everyone around him better and, as we have already seen at the start of this season, he continues to score and decide matches.”
The former Saudi coach believes the arrival of world-class players has helped local footballers rather than harmed their development. Training alongside players who have won the Ballon d’Or or European competitions had raised standards, he said, adding that Saudi Arabia’s national team would become “much more mature”.
Peseiro also backed the team, coached by Georgios Donis, to challenge for the Asian Cup on home soil. He said home advantage was powerful, Donis understood Saudi football well and the players were better prepared than ever, giving them a strong chance against the tournament’s leading sides.
Reflecting on his career, Peseiro said losing the UEFA Cup final with Sporting Lisbon and the Africa Cup of Nations final with Nigeria were the two moments he would find impossible to choose between. Small details, such as a shot striking the post, a split-second decision under fatigue or a defensive lapse, had determined both defeats.
His immediate ambition is to win the Saudi First Division title with AlUla. In the future, he hopes to take a national team to the World Cup, while continuing to work with the same passion and energy.
